


Aedna

by Beckily



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/M, Friendship, Massage, Middle Aged Sex, Nonsexual internal massage, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 20:19:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckily/pseuds/Beckily
Summary: A story about a rich deep friendship between The Iron Bull and Aedna, a grandmother living at Skyhold with her granddaughter, who is a scout.





	Aedna

She knew that look. The old soldier, lost in some private hell, curled in on himself to try to find a position that was less painful, at least for a moment. He reminded her of her husband, in fact, which made her a bit wistful. She knew who he was, of course, everyone did. Catching him at this vulnerable time felt wrong, and she wanted to hide him away so he could gather himself back up before too many people saw him.

“The Iron Bull.”

He flinched back, but met her eyes after a pause. “Ma’am?”

“You come with me, yes? I can help.”

He frowned a bit, looking her over. She grinned. “Not like the children you run around with. My husband was a soldier. I will feed you, maybe use hot rocks on your pains. You take some time without having to pretend, yes? We are old, we hurt.”

He huffed a laugh. “We do. That sounds perfect.”

“I am Aedna.”

\---  
She brought him back to her room where there was a stew bubbling in a small pot near a fire. The room was small and simple. She did not have a chair that would support Bull, so she sat him on the bed before moving to the small cupboard, pouring water into a kettle and into another small pot filled with rocks. She sat both on the hearth, and added a log to the fire.

“Tea will be ready in a bit, let me just..” She moved a towel off a ball of dough before deftly rolling it into a snake, chopping it into 4 small even bits, rolling them into balls in her hands, and then rolling them out into rough circles with a wooden dowel.

“The soup smells delicious. Spicy. You don’t find that much down south.” Bull settled on the bed, stretching his neck and looking around. The room was warm. There wasn’t much, but it was easy to tell her priorities. Dried herbs and vegetables hung in bundles on the walls and ceiling. She had jars of other dried herbs and spices set on her cupboard. She had a small table and two small chairs, a large basket that held a partially completed quilt and a large sewing basket beside it. She had another dress on a hook, and two shifts beside it.

“My sister sends me spices,” She smiled. “It helps.”

She brushed the dough circles with an oil with garlic and more herbs before moving to cook them on a griddle pan by the fire, pressing down with a wooden spoon as the bread inflated. When they were done, she place them on a plate. She dished up two bowls of the rich spicy stew.

“Can you move the table, The Iron Bull? Pull it so you can eat.” He nodded and pulled the table in front of the bed, then moved her chair for her to sit across from him. She set the food on the table, and two glasses of wine before joining him at the table and smiling.

“It’s good to have company. I’m here with my granddaughter, but she’s off in Orlais right now. She’s a scout.”

Bull nodded. They ate their soup - spicy with dried fish from the coast, drank their wine, and relaxed. She told him about her husband, her 6 children (4 of which lived past infancy, 2 to adulthood), and her trip with her granddaughter, who was her last living family member, aside from her sister. 

“I take care of her while she’s here - most soldiers are alone. I give her good strong food, make her warm clothes, massage away her pain, and she takes care of me.”

“She’s very lucky to have you.”

She grinned. “So are you, today. Do you need more food? You are a big man, my bowls are too small.”

He laughed. “I couldn’t turn down more of your delicious food. The food here is fine, but you know how to make it _good_.”

She got him another bowl of soup, and moved the pan with the boiling rocks to the cupboard, scooping the rocks out onto a towel, pulling down a jar of oil and a few more towels to sit beside it.

“When you are done, I can help. The pepper oil, and the hot rocks melt away the pain.”

Bull moaned at the thought. “That sounds amazing. How did I get so lucky?”

She laughed. “You reminded me of my husband. Today is his birthday.”

When he was done eating, she had him set aside the table while she cleaned the bowls and put them aside. “Now. Undress and lay on the bed, yeah?”

Bull laughed again, “Absolutely.”

He was careful about positioning his horns, laying face down with his head toward the foot of the bed where there was no footboard, bending his legs up on the wall to fit.

“My hands ache, too, so this helps us both.” She was a young grandmother, her hands just starting to curl with arthritis, but she firmly coated his back with the hot pepper oil using her arms, forearms, and even digging in with her elbows in places that were very tight. She did his arms next, pulling them above his head one at a time to stretch and get easier access. When she was done, she had him lay comfortably, and covered his back with one of the towels before leaving him to check the temperature of the rocks. They were perfect, so she placed them on his back carefully while he groaned in satisfaction. Then she moved to massage his ass and legs.

“A man your size needs more rocks than I have, I think, but we'll make it work.”

“Where do you get this oil? It’s fantastic.”

“My sister sends the dried peppers. She lives in Cumberland, she gets everything fresh off the boat. I make the oil.”

“I would buy this from you, if you were willing to make extra.”

“I will make you a jar next time, then.”

The rocks on his back had cooled, so she moved the towel down to cover his ass. She placed fresh rocks there, putting the cool rocks back into the hot water before taking a hot rock and using it to massage the thick muscles of Bull’s back and arms. She finished up his whole body this way and when she was done, she put small pebbles across his face and left him to wash her hands, and pour the tea.

As he slowly came back to himself, Bull looked over to her, sitting at the table sipping her tea. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but there aren’t words for how much I appreciate it.”

She smiled. “As I said, it’s my husband’s birthday. I used to do it for him on his bad days. I saw you there and you reminded me of him. Caring for him..” she paused and sipped. “Caring for him was one of my favorite things. I knew that he hurt, in his body and in his mind, but knowing that I could help? I could pull him back to the present where he was loved, I could ease his pains. It helped my heart, too. I appreciate you allowing me to do it for you.”

“Hey, any time. This was amazing. They do some similar things in Par Vollen, but it’s been a long time since I got to experience it. Want me to return the favor?”

She shook her head. “Not right now. You go on out, enjoy the feeling fully. You can return the favor another time. I’ll be here.”

\--

Bull stopped by to see her when he was in Skyhold, at least once a week if he was there for awhile. He could be quiet with Adena. He’d bring her some tea, some fabric, some special treat he found while he was out, and she would fix him a delicious meal, listen, and speak of her own life. 

He came limping to her door one afternoon with a bag of small grain rice he thought she might enjoy as a change from her usual long grain. 

“The Iron Bull, what has you limping, man? I can see it is not your ankle. Put that down on the table, thank you, and get on the bed.”

Bull laughed. 

“It’s okay, Aedna,” He carefully laid on her bed. “I will take you up on the bed because sitting is out of the question right now, but you don’t need to worry. Hard fall killing that dragon in the Exalted Plains. I’ve taken potions but something cracked and they haven’t been enough yet.”

“Pants off then, put the injury up. Let me see.”

Bull huffed a laugh but complied. “That’s a special short grain rice there, I thought you might like it. It’s good for puddings, I thought it might go nicely with the vanilla I brought you last time.”

Aedna laughed. “Oh, I’m onto you, The Iron Bull. I will make you some then, after I see to this.”

Bull hummed happily.

Aedna noticed Bull’s pelvis was twisted and sighed. “I bet there was an impressive bruise here, yah?”

“Absolutely. It was quite colorful on the way back, but the potions took care of that.”

Aedna got out her oil and dug in, releasing his pelvis and his thighs. He hissed and sighed and grunted, but slowly started drifting as she worked, conversation stalling.

She had to climb on the bed to stretch his hips, pressing and pulling until they laid evenly again.

“Now this,” She muttered, running her thumbs up and down his sacrum. “Is beyond what I can do this way. Bull, love?”

“Mm?”

“Your sacrum has broken inward, that’s why you cannot sit. I need to go inside to press it back out again.”

“...Inside?”

“Yah. I’ve got plenty of oil, though certainly not this pepper oil. I’ll wash my hands. With a human it just takes two fingers, but you, I imagine will take more. Do you need to use the pot?”

Bull paused. 

“Aedna..” he shook his head. “You are something else. No, I should be good to go.”

She just grunted, scrubbing the pepper oil off her hands, and pulling out a plain oil. She helped him stuff several pillows under his hips, ignoring his soft laughter.

“There, just that knee up to your chest, yes, good,” she moved behind him, oiling her hand. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, yeah,” Bull said in a deep voice. “Give it to me, Aedna!”

She swatted his butt cheek and laughed. “Oh, I will.”

She pressed gentle fingers against his anus, massaging gently. Bull hummed and relaxed. 

She pressed in, her palm facing up, feeling for his sacrum gently. Bull hissed. “Yes, I know. If I face my hand down you would enjoy this a lot more, but that is not our game tonight, dear friend.”

She had four fingers in, gently massaging and pressing his sacrum up from inside, while massaging and loosening the muscles around the sacrum externally. Bull was panting on the bed and had just said her name to indicate a more tender spot when the door opened.

“Oma, I brought…” Aedna’s granddaughter was standing in the door, mouth hanging open.

“Close the door, girl, you’re letting all the heat out!” Aedna called, pulling one more bit and easing Bull’s sacrum back to a more normal place. He shuddered under her.

“Fuck, Aedna!”

“Oma, what..?”

Bull started laughing. “She’s fixing my tailbone. You did not walk in on your Oma having kinky sex, don’t worry.”

Aedna joined in the laughter. “No, you did not. What did you bring, dear? I will be done in a moment, sit.”

Her granddaughter blinked, unable to take her eyes off the naked Qunari on her Oma’s bed, still panting with Oma’s hand up his…

“I.. I knew you two talked but I didn’t realize you were… so.. Close..” she tried again.

Aedna brought her hand out, massaging his sacral area with two hands again before wiping her hands on a towel. “Mira, please make yourself helpful, bring me a bowl of clean snow. The Iron Bull has brought us some rice, I plan to make some rice pudding to go with the chicken.”

Mira, grateful for something to get her out of this situation with dignity, grabbed a bowl and dashed out.

As soon as the door closed, Aedna burst out laughing, joined quickly by Bull. She laughed until she felt week, and laid down, holding her belly, random giggles getting out.

“Oh,” she gasped. “Poor Mira. I can’t imagine what must have run through her mind!”

Bull grinned, “I’m certainly not what anyone would expect to find in their sweet little Oma’s bed. Especially with that sweet little Oma’s hand up my ass.”

Aedna lost it again, and Bull grinned back at her.

Mira came back to find Aedna pouring tea for them all, Bull modestly covered up to his hips by a quilt. She still goggled at him a bit, but handed the bowl of snow off to Aedna silently, accepting her cup of tea and sitting at the table.

Aedna gathered the snow in a thick cloth and set it gently on Bull’s sacrum, patting his back. “That will help.”

She carefully tucked cloths around his hips, hoping to catch most of the melted ice before it got to her bed.

“So, Mira,” Aedna smiled, moving to hug her granddaughter tight. “I’m so very glad you’re home. You had a safe trip, yeah?”

Mira laughed, relaxing into telling her Oma about her trip, deciding to pretend everything was normal and there wasn’t a naked Qunari in her bed.

This was made more difficult when Bull had iced long enough and her Oma bussed about cleaning him up, hanging the wet cloths by the fire to dry and helping Bull into his pants.

They moved the table to the bed so they could all eat dinner together, and Bull was quiet and polite, nothing like how he was in the tavern. She could tell that, against all reason, her Oma and Bull were friends, and respected each other. 

And it didn’t seem to be sexual, thank the Maker.

\---

And it wasn’t.

Over the next year, they became solid friends, and he sought her out more and more for a bit of peace and escape. No matter how much blood he’d been soaked in, no matter the horrors he’d seen, he could find sanctuary in Aedna’s little room. She wasn’t one for the tavern, so she was separate from his normal life, though he hadn’t realized how separately until one day Krem came looking for him.

There was a knock and Aedna got up from her quilting to answer. Krem was at the door and he blinked in surprise. “Uh, hello. I was looking for the Chief and..”

Aedna nodded and gestured for him to come in. Krem looked around in confusion before focusing on Bull, curled up on Aedna’s bed, knitting. 

Krem blinked, and glanced back at Aedna, who had settled back at her table, deftly sewing shapes together for her next quilt. 

“Hey, Krem, what’s up?” Bull said, focused on his knitting.

“I.. I’m sorry. The Inquisitor was looking for you, and Rocky said he saw you coming in here again, so..”

Bull nodded. “Aedna’s been teaching me to knit. It’s relaxing, and I can finally have enough socks my size.”

Krem laughed. “True. Alright. Well, then I guess..”

“The Iron Bull, you have not introduced us.”

Bull blinked and looked up. “Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot you didn’t know each other already. Aedna, this is Cremisius Aclassi, my Lieutenant. Krem, this is Aedna, a good friend.”

“Very pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Krem smiled. 

Aedna smiled back. “And good to meet you, young man. None of the Bull’s friends have come by before.”

Bull blinked again. “You should come by the tavern some night. Meet my boys.”

Aedna laughed. “Sure, my Bull. I will meet your children. They can tell me what a good Tama you are.”

Krem laughed. “He’s a great Tama for sure. I look forward to you joining us, ma’am.”

Bull just laughed, and finished his line before saying goodbye and heading out with Krem to see the Inquisitor.

\---

She joined them one afternoon unexpectedly.

Bull had a young soldier on his lap, blushing and laughing along with a story Bull was telling. Krem saw her first, standing near the door, looking around with interest. He jumped up without saying anything and greeted her, leading her back to the table. 

“Hey, Chief!” he called, as they got close.

“Aedna!” Bull grinned, waving her over. He looked around for a chair but Krem was ahead of him, offering his own, on Bull’s right side. “Let me buy you a drink, what would you like?”

“Hello, The Iron Bull. I think ale will suit me fine tonight, thank you,” she smiled as he motioned to a barmaid. “Now, who is your young man here?”

The man on Bull’s lap blushed even more, impressively. “This is Broyen. He’s just come back from the Plains.”

“Oh, my Mira was there recently! How did you find it?”

“Oh. Well, it was quite lovely, ma’am, to be sure,” Broyen said, uncertainly.

Aedna laughed. “I’m certain. My Bull killed a dragon there, you know.”

Bull laughed. “I did indeed. Aedna fixed up my hips after, she’s got magic hands.”

“Does she,” Stitches looked interested. “That was a mess, I would be interested in hearing how you did that.”

Bull laughed again, Aedna joining him. “You should talk to her poor granddaughter about that.”

Stitches looked confused.

“Poor Mira walked in after having been gone for months, to find me naked in her Oma’s bed, with her hand in my ass, fixing my tailbone.” Bull laughed again. “She still doesn’t look me in the eye, I swear.”

The man in Bull’s lap looked wide-eyed at Aedna, as did several of the Charger’s.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Stitches said. “If you could talk me through or show me how you do that, I’d really appreciate it. This lot falls on their ass more than most.”

Rocky groaned. “That is a bit friendlier than I wanted to get with you, Stitches.”

“Yeah,” Bull nodded. “It’s really good, though. My hips were all twisted and she fixed me right up. It’s pretty intimate, but worth it. Ideally without traumatizing granddaughters.”

Bull introduced her to his group, and she was interested in them and their stories. They were all fascinated by her, as it was very unusual for Bull to have someone he was obviously so close to that they had never met.

\---

Mira came to him one night months later, in the Herald’s Rest. She looked nervous, but determined.

“Hey, Mira. You want to join us?” he smiled and gestured to a spot on the bench.

“No, but thank you, Bull. Aedna needs you. She’s hurt her back, and she’s stuck on the floor. I can’t get her up without hurting her, and she says it’s your turn now.”

Bull frowned. “Right. Goodnight, boys.”

He followed her immediately.

“She was just working by the fire, not doing anything strenuous. And then she was down. I pulled her back away from the fire, but she’s all curled up,” Mira sniffed. “I worry about her here when I’m gone. I’ve been glad to have you checking, but when we’re both off…”

Bull nodded. “I agree. She’s got friends, though, they come by, too. She’s a good lady, she’ll get help if she needs it.”

Mira nodded, wiping her face. “Right. I just worry when she’s hurt or sick. I can’t lose her.”

Bull patted her back gently. “It would be a huge loss. She’s a treasure.”

He got to her room and sighed. “Oh, Aedna. Tell me what you need.”

Aedna laughed. “I would like to be on the bed, at least. And you can help me undress and then use the pepper oil, yeah?”

“Of course, Aedna.”

He gently gathered her up and sat her on the bed, which Mira had gotten ready. He left briefly while Mira helped her with the chamber pot, and then came back to help gently undress her and settled her into bed on her side, supported with rolled up quilts and pillows.

Mira moved to finish dinner, and Bull massaged her with regular oil on most places, but the pepper oil on her lower back. He had to sit beside her to work, and when he rolled her over to work the other side, her face ended up pressed into his hip.

“This would be easier with a narrower bed for sure. This helping?”

She groaned. ‘Yes, thank you.”

“I have to head out in the morning, Bull. Are you going to be around for awhile?” Mira turned to watch them.

“Yeah. Boss was going to head out in a few days, but I can tell her I need to be here, no problem. I didn’t want to go on this one, anyway.”

“You needn’t fuss, I can take care of myself,” Aedna huffed into his hip.

“No ma’am. You have taken care of me enough times, I’m going to fully relish getting my turn. You will be spoiled, and you will be spoiled properly.”

Mira hid her smile in a cup of tea.

\---

The night after Coryphaeus was defeated was a wild party. Skyhold was full of bonfires, alcohol, food, and cheer.

The Iron Bull, however, found himself unable to focus. He needed something quieter while he processed everything he’d heard. The Qunari were a mistake?

He found Aedna in her room, and she let him in with a smile. They didn’t speak. She had been eating dinner, and gestured to him to move the table while she dished him up some. Spicy meat over rice with some of her flatbread, and some pickle.

When they were done, she got out the box of cocoa he had brought her, and the guimauves as well, mixing it with hot water, honey, and pouring them both mugs. He smiled as he sipped, but they still didn’t speak.

When they were done, she looked at him thoughtfully and then gestured for the bed. He nodded, standing and stripping down to just his pants before crawling onto the bed, foot at the head as always, on his side, looking at her. She watched him and smiled gently, before starting at her laces, pulling her dress off over her head and hanging it on the peg. She curled up against him in bed in her shift and they laid that way for a good while, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, under her favorite quilt.

They fell asleep this way, waking when it was dark. Aedna got up to fuss with the fire, but Bull stayed in bed watching. When she came back, he reached up, touching her face gently. She smiled and then crawled into bed and pulled him into a kiss.

She wasn’t like the people he usually slept with from the taverns - exciting, firm, ready to listen to his stories with stars in their eyes, live out their fantasies of conquest, and push their bodies to the limits.

She sat astride him and moved gently, her soft belly on his soft belly, her breasts - low and pendulous from feeding her 6 children - gathered gently in his hands. He tried to change the angle and hissed, adjusting his legs.

“That knee,” She reached back to pat it. “I’ll look at it when we’re done, yeah? I have a salve.”

He grinned. “You always have the best salves.”

“Of course I do. And then you can put it on my back for me, eh?”

He laughed low, pushing her hair back. “Always, Aedna.”

\---

 

When Mira returned from the Arbor Wilds with the bulk of the troops, she was injured. Bull sent Stitches over as soon as he heard. She was able to keep her leg, but it was damaged enough that she wouldn’t be working as a soldier any longer.

Aedna’s skills with massage helped keep her walking, and she was able to shift to working as a clerk.

She met and fell in love with a soldier, and they decided to get married.

“A bit fast for my tastes,” Aedna told Bull over dinner one evening. “Though she assures me she isn’t with child. She likely will be soon, as she has stopped sleeping here at all.”

Bull smiled. “He seems like a good guy. I hope they’re happy together.”

“And you, my Bull. Are you going to fall in love and settle down, do you think?”

He laughed. “Nah. Are you?”

“Maker forbid!” she laughed. “I will be going with her, of course, when they leave the Inquisition.”

“Are they planning to?”

“Oh, I suspect. This is a lovely castle, but raising small children around soldiers isn’t what you want. Children need freedom to run and the war is over.”

“You had better write to me. We go all over, I’ll stop by anytime we’re near. Bring you presents so you’ll fix my back.”

She smile. “Of course.”

\---

Mira and Henri settled in Cumberland. He joined the city guard, and then had a little house with a small garden that Aedna tended with care.

Aedna was picking beans one morning with Mira’s toddler Cassandra, when the girl suddenly squeaked and hid behind her.

A shadow came over the garden, and Aedna looked up into the smiling face of The Iron Bull.

She smiled back.

“Hello, my Bull.”

**Author's Note:**

> That massage technique is totally real and highly recommended to me by a friend.


End file.
